Spring-frame bicycle.



Patented Dot. I7, i899.

W. B. SPENER.

@autres dramas.

PATENT erica.

\VILLIAM BARTON SPENCER, OF OI'IIOAGO,` ILLINOIS.

SPRING-FRAME eicYoLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,028, dated.October-17, 1899.

Application iled December 19, 1898. Serial No. 699,724. (No model.)

T0 all whom t rita/y concern.-

. Be it known that I, WILLIAM BARTON SPEN- CER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented a new and useful Spring-Frame Bicycle, of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to spring-frame bicycles ofthe class disclosed inUnited States Letters Patent No. 608,235, issued to me August 2, 1598;and the object in View is to reorganize and simplify the parts so as tobring the spring-cushion devices at pointsabove the axle and locate themaway from the wheel-hubiu elevated positions where theyare notdisposedto become wet and muddy by the rotation of the wheel, and they are moreconvenient to the operator in-adjusting and removing the spring loops orbands.

With these ends in view the invention consists in the novel constructionand arrangement of parts, which will be hereinafter more fully described.and claimed. e

To enable others to understand the invention, I have illustrated thesame in theaccompanying d rawings,forminga part of this speciiication,and in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion ofabicycle-l'rame embodying myimprovements. Fig. 2 is an elevation atright angles to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View on the line3 3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side elevation showing the improvementsapplied to the steeringfork, and Fig. 5 is a side elevation of amodilied form of the frame. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail views of theguide-block.

Like numerals of reference denote like and corresponding parts in eachof the several figures of the drawings.

In carrying In yin vention into practice I employa frame-plate 10, whichmay be connected either to the front or steering fork oi' a bicycle, asshown by Fig. 4, or to a portion of the frame adjacent to the rear-wheelhub, as in Figs. 1 and 5. In Fig. 1 the backstay 12 and the rear fork 13of theframe are joined to the plate 10 in any substantial way; butthisbackstay and the rear fork maybe made continuous one with the other, asrepresented by Fig. 5. I prefer to employ metallic tubing Which isD-shaped in cross-section, so that the frameplate may be united firmlyto the iiat sides of the tubing; but it is obvious that-tubingcirculariu cross-se-ction may be employed.

As disclosed by my prior patent, the frameplate is provided withvertical parallel bars 111 within the arched or circular outline of said.plate 10, and these vertical bars form a guideway, adapted to slidablyreceive one end of the axle. rlhe frame-plate iu my present invention ismade with a vertical arm or branch 16,Whicl1 constitutes anintegral partof said frameplate and extends upwardly therefrom a suitable distanceabove the guideway 15` At its upper extremity the vertical arm or branchlo is provided with two pairs of arms 17 18, which are rigid or fastwith said branch 16.k One pair ot' arms 17 extend from one side 'of thebrauch 16, while the other pair oi" arms 1S project from the oppositeside of the branch 16, and'each pair of arms has its members spaced asuitable distance from one another to lie on opposite sides of avertical guide-stem, presently described.

The wheel-hub 19 is fitted in the usual way on the axle 20, the ends ofwhich pass through and are fit1 ed slidably in the vertical. guide wayof the frame-plate. The vertical guidestem 21 is arranged between theframe-plate 10 and the wheel-hub, and at its lower end this guidestem isenlarged to form the annular boss or collar 22. The boss or collar ofthe guide-stem is clamped firmly in place against the adjusiing-cone ofthe wheel-h ub y by devices mounted on the axle and that serve toguideor direct the vertical play of the frame-plate in its movement withrelation to the wheel-axle, and said guide device is constructed forready application to or removal from the axle and the frame-plate. Theguide is in the form of a block 23, nearly circular in form and withiiattened faces 24 on opposite sides thereof, and this guide-block hasan annular groove 25, the continuity of which is interrupted or brokenby the i'lat faces 24:. The guide-block between its liattened faces 24Cis slightly less in diameter than the width H With a central opening 26,adapted to receive the axle, and one face of the block is adapted tobear-against the eye-formed end 22'of the 'ICO- guide-stem 21. A washer28 is fitted on the axle to bear against the outside of the guideblock,and against said washer 28 is screwed the axle-nut 29, that is fastenedto the axle.

The guide-blocl may be fitted to the axle and introduced into the slotof the frameplate by turning the block toa position Where the attenededges thereof will slip into the slot of the frame-plate, and then theblock is partly turned on the axle to bring the grooved edges thereofinto engagement with the edges of the slotted frame-plate. The washer 28is now applied and the nut 29 screwed home to clamp the washer, theguide-block, and the stem firmly in place against the cone of theWheel-hub; but as the frame-plate is confined within the groovedguide-block said frameplate may move freely in a vertical direction. Theupper end of the vertical branch 16 of the frame-plate is formed orprovided between its pairs of arms with a clip orloop 3l, which slidablyembraces the vertical guide-stem 21, and this stem passes through theclip or eye 3l, so that the cross-arms 32 on said stem lie above thepairs of arms 17 18 on the branch 16 of the frame-plate. The cross-arm32 is in a Vertical plane between the pairs of arms 17 18 on oppositesides of the frame-plate branch, and a series of elastic bands 33 havetheir looped ends tted around one pair of arms I7 and rest upon one endof the crossarm 32. Another series of elastic bands 34: rest upon theopposite end of the cross-arm 32, and the looped ends of these bands 34are fitted on the cross-arms 18 of the frame-plate. The elastic bandsserve to yieldingly sustain the frame-plate in properrelation to theaxle of the wheel-hub, but the frame-plate is free to move verticallywithin certain limits and to distend the elastic bands so as to cushionthe jar and vibration on the machine-frame. It will be noted that thebranch of the frame-.plate and the vertical stem have the cross-armsdisposed at a suitable elevation above the horizontal plane of thewheel-axle, and the cushion-springs are thus raised above the ground tobring them to a position Where they are not liable to receiveaccumulations of mud and dirt and also enable the operator to gainaccess to the springs with greaterconvenience and facilityin adjustingthe springs to vary the tension thereof or to replace the springs withnew bands.

Changes may be made in the form and proportion of some of the parts,while their essential features are retained and the spirit of theinvention embodied. Hence I do not desire to be limited to the preciseformof all the parts as shown, reserving the right to vary therefrom.

Having thus described the invention7 what I claim is 1. In aspring-frame bicycle, the combination with a frame-plate having avertical guideway, of a bearing-block provided with the arc-shapedgrooved faces and, the straight side faces which intersect with saidarc-shaped faces and interrupt the continuity of the grooves therein,the width of the block between the straight faces being less than thespace in the guideway, and said block being adjustable in and removablefrom said guideway, a Wheel-axle fitted to said bearing-block, means forclamping the axle and block to gether, and resilient suspending devices,substantially as described.

2. Ina spring-frame bicycle, the combination of a frame-plate having aguideway and an upwardly-extending arm or branch, 16, provided at itsupper end with a guide or clip, a bearing-block fitted in said guidewayof the frame-plate to slide freely therein, an axle clamped to saidblock, a wheel-hub, a vertical stem passing through the guide or clipand providedat its lower end-with an eye or boss which is fitted on theaxle and is clamped between the bearing-block and the cone of saidwheel-hub, arms on the upper ends of the frame-plate branch and thevertical stem, and resilient devices connecting said arms, substantiallyas described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WILLIAM BARTON SPENCER.

Witnesses:

H. G. LLOYD, J. T. RICHARDS.

